John Smith and The Doctor
by Thread-wing
Summary: The Doctor meets up with some old friends he know's he shouldn't
1. A New Old Friend

**This was my very first fanfic, and it's very old, so it's probably not as good as my others.**

**As a side note, I usually write my fics while watching tv or really super late at night, so please feel free to point out any spelling and gramatical errors or inconsistencies. Thank you, I will try to fix any you find**

* * *

The sea breeze cascaded across the cold beach, blowing every cloud away from the grey skies and letting the silver sun shine through. A young couple walked hand in hand along the shoreline, kicking the sand with their bare feet. The woman had bright gold hair that whipped around her face in the evening wind, and the man, short brown hair that stuck up in the front, partnered with a brilliant smile to match hers. He wore a blue suit, covered by a long brown trenchcoat, a fasion statement that hasn't changed in all their years together, and probably never will.

They both stopped for a moment, looking into each others eyes and smiling brightly. The woman spoke first.

"This is where we first kissed, do you remember?" She took both his hands in hers

He laughed "Ah, no, you don't remember? We had our first kiss long before this, when you looked into the heart of the Tardis. You almost killed me"

She smiled up at him "No, when _we_first kissed"

He smiled back "I know what you meant" He leaned towards her, taking her chin in his hand.

They both stopped for a moment, each sure they had heard the unmistakable sound. A high pitched whirring, off in the distance, something they'd both been pulled to all their life

She looked off over the hills in disbelief "Was that...?"

He joined her gaze "But, that's impossible"

In an instant, they were both off, leaving their memories of love behind and running towards their memories of adventure, excitement. They could feel themselves running again, not over the sandy hills but somewhere on a distant planet, running forever.

As they reached the top of the hill, they stopped, both frantically looking around in search of the tattered blue beacon. After a minute they looked back at each other, thoroughly confused.

The woman spoke first. "I guess we just imagined..."

She was interrupted by a far off hollar "Hello there!"

They both turned towards the source. A tall man wearing a brown tweed jacket and a black top hat was waving at them, walking towards them with a funny gait. The man stood in disbelief "That didn't sound like me.."

The woman smirked, holding back laughter "It doesn't look like you either! C'mon it's probably just some bloke" She waved back, still giggling at the mans rediculous attire.

The man still looked disapointed "But, the Tardis..."

She grabbed him by the hand, leading him down towards the other man "We just imagined it, let's go say hello"

The other man greeted them as they reached the bottom of the hill, tipping his hat and adjusting his bowtie. "Hello, I'm new here, and I seem to have lost my way, could you help me find..." He paused for a moment as he saw the mans face. He looked him up and down, circling him once and coming back around to face him.

"Oh no, this is bad, this is very very not good at all.." He turned back to the woman "But you're..." Then he saw it, The blonde hair had been cut shorter, and her face had aged slightly, but it most definitely was her.

She looked at him funny, then let go of the mans hand to hold it out to him "Rose. Rose Tyler."

The man was tentative to shake it, but eventually did so, very slowly. "Yes, right.." He scratched his cheek with his other hand as he turned to the man in the trench coat. "And you are?"

The man stared at him for a moment. Something was off about this man, but he couldn't figure out what, exactly. "... John Smith" He shook the other man's hand wearily "And, if I may ask, who might you be?"

The man smiled at him, shaking his hand energetically "John Smith! Great name, great name indeed. Well! I best be going then, things to see, people to do... um, no, not in that order, anyway! Time to go!" He turned back to where he had come from and started to walk off.

John lunged out, grabbing the mans hand and holding him back "Who. Are you?"

The man turned back to him, a bemused look on his face "That's right, you're part human.."

John stepped back, surprised that the man knew this "Who?"

The man smirked, "Who, indeed"

Rose gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth "But.. you're not"

John looked at her, then back at the man, still unwilling to accept what they both clearly saw in front of them. "Who. Are. You."

The man smiled, adjusting his bowtie and flicking back his mop of hair "I'm the Doctor"


	2. Take Her

John took a step back, eyeing the Doctor up and down, taking in his outrageous fashion sense as well as his funny new posture. Rose just stared at him in disbelief. The Doctor stood there for a moment, a bit uncomfortable under the awkward situation.

Rose took a tentative step towards him, reaching her hand out to his face. "But.. you've changed..."

The Doctor smiled, letting Rose gently touch his cheek "Yes, I tend to do that."

Rose sighed, taking another step towards him "Oh Doctor..."

John stepped in front of her, still wearily staring at the man who stole his title and his life away from him. He spoke in a solemn tone "How did I die?"

The Doctor glanced at him, before turning back to Rose "It was Donna, actually. Well, her father, got himself trapped in some sort of locking chamber, couldn't let himself out without radiation flooding it. Long story short, I took the hit for him, quite literally, experienced a long and painful death before my cells finally decided to regenerate, and Geronimo! Here I am."

Roses eyes filled with tears. She rushed towards the Doctor, nearly pushing John aside, wrapping her arms around him in a sorrowful embrace "Doctor.. you never returned, you never came for me, I thought you loved me?"

A cold silence rushed over the three of them as Rose realized what she had just said. She slowly backed away from the Doctor, turning towards John, tears streaming down her cheeks. "... I'm sorry"

John stared at her for a moment, heartbreak showing through his accusing eyes. Then he turned to the Doctor, jealous fury burning through his single heart. "Why are you here, Doctor? What else can you take from me?" He reached into the pocket of his trench coat, retrieving the money he'd accumulated over the years and dropping it all on the ground "You want my money? Take it!" He ripped the trench coat off his shoulders, throwing it at the Doctor "You want the clothes off my back? Take it! You want everything I've ever owned?" He slid his blue suit off over his arms "Take it.." He let the jacket drop to the ground, followed by his shirt, leaving his torso bare and cold in the sea breeze.

He walked slowly to Rose, wrapping his naked arms around her "But please don't take her"

The Doctor stared at the two for a moment. "Rose.." His voice dropped its excited tone, and for a moment, he sounded like his previous incarnation. "I left you with him because I knew he would love you.." He glanced at John, who looked ready to attack at the first wrong move he took "Because he _could_ love you."

Rose stared at the Doctor, tears drying on her pale cheeks. She thought for a moment of all the adventures she had had with him, all the memories she'd shared. She thought all the way back, when his face was different, when she'd first felt a draft of what she knows now to be love. She'd thought back to the first time they'd kissed, to all the times the Doctor saved her from certain destruction. And she remembered how he'd been so selfless and thought only of what he could do for her.

And she remembered how, not once, had he ever told her he loved her.

The Doctor smiled at the two of them, handing John back his trench coat. Rose took the coat and wrapped it around Johns shoulders, smiling up at him as he kissed her forehead.

She turned to the Doctor. "I will never leave his side, not for anything you can offer"

The Doctor grinned, tipping his hat and adjusting his bow tie. John finally lost it, laughing loudly as he gestured towards the Doctors attire "What, is that?"

The Doctor seemed slightly offended "What? I wear bow ties now, bow ties are cool"

Rose began to laugh to "And a top hat? You look like an old picture my mum has in her office of her great granddad."

The Doctor smiled, brushing the rim of his hat "Yes, top hats are cool too."

John smiled "I'll tolerate the bow tie, but the hats absolutely ridiculous"

The Doctor took it off, tossing it in the sand "Yeah, but I'll tell you what, I've got a fez! Now those are cool. I'll get that." And with that, he went running off back from where he came.

John shook his head, laughing under his breath. "I never thought I'd live to see that"

Rose smiled up at him, tugging on his trench coat "I love you"

"I love you too"

"Are you two gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna turn around?"

John and Rose both looked up. The Doctor was standing not a few yards away, leaning against a tall blue box. The glowing letters reading "POLICE BOX" spread across the top. The Doctor stepped up to John, gesturing towards the Tardis "Would you do the honors?"

John smiled at him, clutching Rose in one arm and raising his other "You're not half bad" He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing across the beach.

And the Tardis' doors flew open.


	3. Accidental Trip

The familiar lights and sounds echoed about the Tardis as John stepped inside. Rose followed closely behind, holding his hand.

They wandered around the control room for a moment as the Doctor fiddled with the controls. "Now you know, of course, that I can't take you anywhere, because I'm not sure what you would do to the Time vortex" He said, nodding his head towards John. "It was extremely risky taking you to the parallel dimension in the first place"

John rolled his eyes, looking around the room "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to see her again..." He glanced over at the Doctor. "Have you remodeled?"

The Doctor chuckled, pretending to be preoccupied with the mass of lights and buttons "Yes, yes, bit of a forceful regeneration, plus a teeny crash landing... Anyway, feel free to look around, I've added a few more rooms"

Rose looked eagerly down a twisting hallway "No you didn't!"

The Doctor smiled "Go on, see for yourself" But Rose was gone before he could even turn around. He laughed, glancing at John. "She hasn't changed a bit"

John sighed, joining the Doctor at the control panel "No, she hasn't.." He rested his hand on the control panel, watching the multiple lights make his skin glow.

The Tardis suddenly shuddered, jerking forward, sending both John and the Doctor flying against the wall. They both hurried to their feet, running to the controls as she began to whine and groan in her distinctive whirring voice. The Doctor tried everything he could to stop it, but the controls weren't responding

John clutched to the railing, trying hard to stay standing "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know! She just took off!" The Doctor ran around the controls, flipping switches and buttons and lights and wheels, but nothing was responding.

Finally John decided to help, pushing the Doctor out of the way and flipping the controls, his hands expertly running over every switch and dial until the Tardis finally stopped.

The Doctor stared at John in disbelief "What? How... Why?"

John leaned on the control panel, out of breath from running about "I don't know.."

The Doctor approached the mass of lights and switches again, flipping one after the other. Nothing

John stared at him for a moment, then quickly turned around "Rose!" He ran toward the hallway through which she disappeared "Rose, are you alright?" And in a flash he was gone.

The Doctor stared at the control panel, flipping switch after switch, pressing buttons and turning dials, but still the gentle hum of the Tardis in space remained constant, unchanging.

John returned a moment later, clutching Rose's hand. "Doctor.. what happened?"  
The Doctor remained motionless, his back facing them as he leaned over the controls. "Mr. Smith. Would you come here please."

John hesitantly stepped toward him. His Sonic Screwdriver was unhinged, reading off innumerable measurements and calculations, and he was staring at it, a worried look on his face. He took Johns hand and placed it on a lever. "Pull that"

John was hesitant for a moment, then pulled the lever down. The Tardis began to hum again, rocking a little more gently, until slowly everything was silent.

Rose approached the two of them "What happened?"

The Doctor stared at John out of the corner of his eye "We've landed"

John stared back, unsure what the Doctor was thinking

The Doctor continued, resting his head in his hands "And for some reason..."

John grew impatient "What happened, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked up at him "She doesn't recognise me anymore"


	4. Falling Giants

The Doctor leaned over the Tardis control panel, scanning and rescanning every possible device, trying to determine what had gone wrong.

John stood to the side, Rose hanging anxiously onto his trench coat. "What do you mean it doesn't recognise you?"

The Doctor looked up "You've been living a human life way too long" He scanned John up and down, flipping the Screwdriver into its unhinged position, reading it carefully "For some reason, because I have a past generation of myself, she thinks of you as more capable to run her, you somehow tapped into her memory banks, and now she thinks you're the Doctor"

John rolled his eyes, "So why does that mean you can't control it? I've had past generations in here myself, ran into my fifth regeneration right around Christmas, you remember."

The Doctor pressed a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. "Yes, but they weren't part human. The Tardis recognises you, but she doesn't understand why a human.."

John interrupted "_Half_ human"

The doctor rolled his eyes "Yes, alright, why a _half_ human is controlling her, when she believes it to be the me" He stood up straight "I think she's just refreshing her memory banks, and until that's done, I don't think she'll respond to anyone but you."

John looked around, eyeing the flashing lights and taking in the uneasy silence. "How long will that take?"

"I don't know. But I would give her a day at least"

Rose stepped into the conversation "So, what you're saying is, the Tardis is confused, she needs a day to figure out the problem, and until she does, we're stuck here?"

The Doctor glanced at her, swaying back on his heels "In essence, yes"

John stepped towards the door "Where are we, anyway?"

"Lets find out"

-'-,-'

The Doctor stepped cautiously out of the blue doors, taking a quick glance around. They were parked on a secluded street, somewhere on Earth. He looked down to see snow on the ground, and around were wooden cabins. "We're probably in America, somewhere around the 1700's.." A silver Porsche came zooming by, splashing the side of the Tardis with melted ice "... Make that 21st century, and definitely America."

John pushed the Doctor out, stepping outside with Rose following closely behind him. He looked around to see massive trees towering over them, reaching hundreds of feet in the air "We're in California"

Rose followed Johns gaze "What makes you say..." the sight of the massive trees rendered her speechless. They both stood staring up at the glorious sight, their necks straining back to see the top. "This can't be on Earth.."

"North Calaveras Grove!" The Doctor exclaimed, spreading his arms wide to the enormous trees. "Better known to the natives as 'Big Trees California', first grove of  
Sequoiadendron giganteum discovered, also known as the Giant Sequoia." He continued rambling off impressive facts about the park, to which John and Rose paid no heed.

Rose looked at John, "There's no way were on Earth, I've never seen anything like this."

John smiled at her "Sometimes, you don't know what you're missing at home until you go back to visit"

She smiled back at him, her eyes leaving the amazing sight to look into his, their hazel brown hue keeping her warm against the snow's bitter cold.

The Doctor appeared behind them, ruining the moment yet again. "Now, enough chat! We have a day to wait before we can head back, so we might as well enjoy it" He took them both by the shoulder, pushing them towards the park. They both obliged, rolling their eyes and holding each others hands as they walked toward the grove, leaving footprints in the frost behind them.

The Doctor watched them for a moment before turning back to the Tardis, whispering to himself "You always take me somewhere I'm needed, so why did you take us here?"

The Tardis stood silent, its glowing letters flickering slightly as it calculated and rearranged itself inside. A blue beacon of hope and destruction standing against the cold, white backdrop.

The Doctor shook his head, turning to follow John and Rose. "I guess we'll find out soon"

-'-,-'

John and Rose walked hand in hand, kicking snow off their feet and watching the lower branches sway and creak in the wind. They gazed up at the towering trees, marveling at the sight of something so foreign so close to home.

John looked down at her, clutching her hand "How's this for a spontaneous date?"

Rose laughed, resting her head on John's shoulder "It's amazing"

John sighed, facing Rose and turning her chin towards him "I love you Rose"

Rose smiled, her rosy cheeks growing redder under the frost "I love you too"

John leaned towards her, brushing a stray hair from her face. She smiled brightly, closing her eyes as John's face grew nearer. The stillness swirled around them with their lips poised inches apart.

"Well, this has certainly been a lovely evening!" The Doctor broke through the two of them, causing a frustrated groan from John.

"Can we help you with something, Doctor?" The edge in his voice complementing the glare in his eyes.

The Doctor turned towards them, rocking back on his heels and adjusting his bow tie "Actually.. we may have a problem"

-'-,-'

The three of them stood over the fallen tree, its bark stripped clean from its trunk, and the wood scorched and blackened from a long ago fire.

The Doctor and John spoke at the same time "The Mother of the Forest"

Rose looked from one to the other, then back to the solemn tree laying dead on the ground. "What is it, what happened?"

The Doctor turned towards Rose "The Mother of the Forest is the most famous tree in this grove. It was once the tallest Sequoia known, before its bark was stolen from it and showed off at world fairs. Then a fire swept through and killed it."

John spoke up "But why did it fall?"

The Doctor examined the upturned roots, scanning them before tossing his screwdriver over his shoulder "Rubbish on wood.."

Rose caught the screwdriver, walking over to him "Doctor.."

The Doctor looked up at her, glancing over at John who was looking over the tree's burnt body. "I don't know. It wasn't human doing, and it wasn't natural.. but whatever did this..." He looked over the roots again, noting visible claw marks under the layers of dirt "I've never encountered it before"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the three of them heard an ear splitting cracking, and looked over to see a tree crash to the ground a few hundred yards away, its branches falling from its base as its roots tore up the ground beneath it.

The Doctor spoke first "Oh yes, we definitely have a problem"


	5. Love and War

The trio ran towards the fallen tree, sprinting through streams of melting snow and skipping over icy rocks. Rose glanced up at John, who was focused straight ahead, the way he always was when they were runing. The wind blew gently through his tufted hair, the brown trenchcoat flapping furiously behind him with each step he took. He looked down to meet her gaze, smiling as he reached for her hand. She smiled back, feeling his warm fingers slide through hers as their hands met.

The Doctor arrived at the trees side first, scanning it over before yelling at his screwdriver "Yes, I know it's wood, get over it!" He sighed, tucking it back inside his coat pocket and turning towards John and Rose.

John spoke before the Doctor could, pointing toward the upturned roots "Over there!" He quickly rushed to the moist soil, closely followed by Rose, then the Doctor.

Beneith the tangle of roots and splintered wood was a tunnel, halfway collapsed and just big enough for a person to fit through. Rose peered down the dark hole "What is it?"

The Doctor answered "It looks like a burrow of some sort"

"A burrow?"

"Yes, for a very large chipmunk" He patted John on the back "Good eye, John"

John smiled "One of the best"

Rose interrupted the two of them, glancing up at John "Oh please tell me you don't expect us to go in there."

John looked into the darkness "Ok, I won't tell you" And with that he started crawling down the burrow.

Rose and the Doctor watched in silence for a moment as John disapeared down the hole. Finally, his voice echoed through the chamber "Come on, it's bigger on the inside!"

Rose tried to suppress a laugh, rolling her eyes at the rediculous joke, as she joined John through the hole "I thought this was going to be a nice, quiet evening. Doctor, you never fail to disapoint"

The Doctor smiled, following her through the tunnel "I know, I know"

-'-,-'

The three of them traveled through the tunnel, the Doctor leading, using the sonic screwdriver as a small, glowing light. John followed closely, with Rose holding his hand and trailing behind.

They all walked in silence for a while, winding their way through the elaborate maze of burrows and holes. Rose whispered, cautious to disturb the stillness "What could've made these? There's nothing on Earth I've ever seen that could've done somehing so.. big"

The Doctor looked back, raising his brow "You'd never seen trees this big until an hour ago, why would'nt you say there could be more?"

John agreed "Most of Earth's species have been discovered by now, but there's always more out there, to learn and to discover"

Before Rose could reply, a low, scraping noise echoed throughout the cavern. The Doctor quickly disabled his screwdriver, and the three of them dove back into a notch in the wall.

The scraping grew louder with every passing second, and soon a dim light began to fill the chamber. The loud ringing of a sonic device ricochetted off the walls, causing them to cover their ears and glance at the Doctor, who shrugged to indicate that it wasn't his. One by one, they slowly peered around the corner.

There, in the middle of the tunnel, and holding a dim lantern that barely lit the rocks surrounding them, stood a short, furry figure. It's long arms stretched out , tapping black, badger-like claws against the cave wall, and clutching a small box that seemed to produce the earsplitting sound.

The creature walked towards them, it's claws dragging against the ground, making the scraping noise they'd heard earlier. The Doctor stepped out from behind the crevice, pointing his screwdriver towards the stout being. The creature seemed not to notice him, but instead pointed the sonic "box" towards the roof of the tunnel.

The Doctor tucked away his screwdriver, turning towards John and Rose "It's blind"

The figure stopped in its tracks, pointing the box towards the Doctor, scanning him up and down. After a moment, it threw the box aside, lunging at the Doctor, gruesome claws outstretched.

The Doctor stepped aside quickly, leveling his screwdriver again towards the creature. It turned around quickly, running back towards the Doctor, the same dark sneer spread across his face, reveiling razor teeth behind black lips.

The Doctor dodged it once again, the claws clipping his shoulder, tearing through the sleeve of his jacket. Rose rushed to him "Doctor! Are you ok?" She quickly started examining his shoulder.

The Doctor turned towards her "Yes, I'm fine, it's just a scratch.." He stared at Rose for a moment, brushing the blood off his shoulder.

"Rose!"

The two of them turned to find the creature inches away from them, arm raised above it's head, poised to strike.

They watched as the scene played out in slow motion. The black claws dropped down over its head, flashing towards the two of them under the dim light of the abandoned lantern. Rose closed her eyes, pressing herself against the Doctor and waiting for the burning pain that was sure to come.

Minutes seemed to pass by as Rose held tight to the Doctor's coat, her eyes still shut tight.

The Doctor gently brought his hands to her shoulders, holding her against him. "Rose.. I want you to turn around. I want you to turn around and run out of this tunnel, run as fast as you can, and don't look back."

Rose stood against the Doctor for a moment, slowly opening her eyes as she realized they were no longer in danger. "Doctor..?"

The Doctor whispered in her ear "Rose, don't look"

Rose ignored him, turning towards the creature. It was crawling around the cave, looking blindly for his sonic device. She glanced at his claws, dragging against the ground as he watched. They were stained red.

Rose slowly looked down in horror. John layed at their feet, a bloody gash torn across his chest.


	6. The Final Sacrifice

Rose cried out, dropping to her knees over John's body. The creature scurried off down the tunnel at the sound of Rose's voice, and the Doctor started to run after it, calling out for it to stop.

"Doctor!"

He paused, looking after the dark figure for a moment, before turning back to Rose. She held John in her arms, tears streaming down her face as his blood stained her clothes. "Doctor, help him"

The Doctor returned to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Rose, there's nothing we can do. He's dying"

Rose pressed her fingers lightly against johns neck, searching for a pulse. "He's still alive.."

"But he's dying"

She looked up at the Doctor "What happened?"

The doctor kneeled next to Rose, scanning John's bloodied torso. "That thing was about to kill us. Rather, kill me, when you got in the way"

Rose glared up at him "Don't you try to tell me this is my fault"

The Doctor sighed, reading the scans before covering his eyes in his hand "No, it's no body's fault. But that thing was blind, it was going after me and couldn't tell you were there." He glanced down at John again. "... and he jumped in front of you"

Rose looked down at John again, brushing the tears away from her face with her sleeve. "Is there no way to save him?"

The Doctor replied solemnly "I'm afraid not"

After a moment of silence, Rose leaned down to John's face, brushing her hair behind her ear and gently pressed her lips against his.

The three of them were left in silence as the light from the forgotten torch slowly flickered out. Rose looked up at the Doctor again, tears streaming from her sad eyes. "What do we do now?"

The Doctor looked down the tunnel, to where the creature had disappeared "I.. don't know" He sat down next to Rose, grabbing her hand and trying his best to comfort her "I really don't know"

They both looked down on John's body, neither of them bothering to check his pulse again.

They knew he was dead.

-'-,-'

Minutes passed by in silence as the two of them watched over John's body. The Doctor held Rose to his chest as she fought back countless tears to no avail. After a moment, the Doctor slid his jacket over his shoulders, holding it over John's body "May I?"

Rose glanced at the Jacket, then back at John's lifeless face, and nodded silently, biting her lip as more tears rushed forward. The Doctor draped his Jacket over Johns body, covering his face.

At that moment, a new light began to glimmer at the end of the tunnel. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her from John's side and nudging her back into the crevice "Rose, hide"

Rose fought his grasp, pulling her arm away from him. "I'm not standing by and watching you die too!" She turned to watch the light approach them, and the Doctor knew there was no changing her mind.

The two of them watched the light grow closer, and one by one they could faintly make out three figures, each carrying a lantern, making it much easier to see them. As they approached, Rose could see they looked exactly like over grown badgers that had evolved to walk upright.

The Doctor held out his sonic screwdriver, and the one in the lead stopped, holding the others back. They were only a few yards away.

The Doctor glanced at Rose, then back at the badger-people "I don't want to cause any more harm. I can see you're intelligent beings, I just want to talk."

The head badger turned to the other two, talking to them in a scratchy language neither of them could hear. The three of them approached the Doctor and Rose slowly, the front one putting his claws up in the universal sign of peace.

As they stopped and set down their lanterns, the Doctor spoke "Who are you, where did you come from?"

The front one spoke, as it seemed to be the only one that could understand them "We have always been here. We were born on the Earth" It's voice was nasally, and sounded feminine.

The Doctor turned to Rose "Rose, can you still understand alien languages?"

Rose nodded "Yeah"

The lady badger spoke again "I have been alerted of your situation and have come to help. You must forgive my Alupei, he didn't realize you were human." One of the badger-people lowered his head, and Rose saw remains of blood still smeared on his claws.

The Doctor lowered his screwdriver "You can see us?"

The lady badger nodded "Let us retire to my chamber, we will talk there."

Rose looked back at John "What about him"

The lady badger followed Rose's line of sight "Oh dear..." She turned to the other two and gestured towards the body. They scurried away quickly and returned with two more badger people and a sling. They placed Johns body onto the sling and awaited further orders from the her.

She looked back up at the Doctor and Rose "Come"


	7. Not From Earth

The Doctor and Rose followed the Badger-people, Rose holding onto his hand for support, as well as trying to suppress any more tears. The Doctor looked straight ahead, wondering how far they were going and exactly how deep underground they were.

Neither of them dared to look back at John's body, covered now in a woven blanket and being carried on a sling.

They came to a sudden turn in the tunnels, and the two of them could see a faint glowing light on the other side. They rounded the corner to come face to face with an underground city, teaming with activity as Badger-people scurried in and out of burrows, greeting each other and stopping to chat, or trading bits of glimmering rocks for foods and supplies.

The Doctor leaned over, whispering in Rose's ear "Can you believe that?"

Rose's gaze traveled over the busy scene "They're just like us"

"And no one knows were here"

They both looked down at the Badger lady, who was gesturing towards a nearby burrow "In here, please"

Rose glanced back at John's body, but the sling was nowhere to be found "What's happened to John?"

The Badger looked up at her "Your friend? He's been taken to the infirmary."

The Doctor stared at her "But he's..."

The Badger lady nodded "Yes, we know. In here please" She turned towards the burrow and walked inside, lighting a lantern.

The Doctor looked down at Rose, and she, up at him. He gently grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight in reassurance as she wiped away a tear. "Don't worry"

-'-,-'

"I think this will be a proper time to exchange information" The Badger seated herself on a nearby rock, and the Doctor and Rose did the same "How did you find your way down here?"

The Doctor answered quickly "We saw a tree fall in the forest, and we followed the tunnel underneath. My turn, who are you?"

The Badger crossed one leg over the other, resting her chin on her claws "I am Jerra"

"I meant your species"

"We don't have a name. We evolved from badgers that used to live in this forest, hundreds of years ago.."

The Doctor interrupted her "Badgers aren't native here, and you can't have evolved this much within a couple hundred years"

Jerra smiled, pulling her black lips over her teeth "Yet here we are." She glanced at Rose, then back at the Doctor "She's human, but where are you from"

The Doctor smirked "How did you know that"

"Our scanners" She gestured towards the sonic box sitting in the corner of the burrow. "They don't do much, but they tell us what's from Earth, and what isn't"

The Doctor rushed over to it, scanning the scanner with his screwdriver "Why would you need these?"

Jerra watched him fiddle with the device "Where did you come from?"

The Doctor paused for a moment "... Gallifrey. I'm from the planet Gallifrey"

Jerra looked thoughtful for a moment "And why are you here?"

"It was an accident, we never meant to come here, but I'm glad we did. What is happening to the trees?"

Jerra glanced at Rose, then back to the Doctor, drumming her claws against the wall "They are not from here. We should destroy what is not from here."

The Doctor was silent for a moment, staring questioningly at Jerra, who simply stared back.

Rose stepped forward "What do you mean, not from here?"

Jerra looked her up and down "You are from here" She gestured towards the Doctor "He is not" She pointed her claws towards the earth above her "They are not from here"

The Doctor spoke next "Do you mean to say they are from another planet?"

Jerra nodded "Yes"

"And how do you know this?"

Jerra pointed to the scanner in the Doctor's hand "They tell us. They tell us you are not from here, and they tell us the trees are not from here"

The Doctor looked at his screwdriver mumbling to himself "Why doesn't mine tell me that?"

Rose interjected "Yours doesn't work on wood"

The Doctor looked at her, then at Jerra, then back to his screwdriver "... right"

Jerra continued "We cannot allow foreign things on this planet, that is why we destroy them"

The Doctor looked back up, and Rose could recognize the glimmer of an idea sparkling in his eyes. A clever idea. A Doctors idea. "You say you destroy them, because they don't belong here?"

"That is right"

The Doctor smiled, laughing to himself. Jerra looked confused "What is so funny?"

The Doctor pointed his screwdriver at her, scanning her up and down then quickly unhinging it to read the scans "You're not from here"

Jerra looked insulted, but the Doctor continued "You said you were evolved from badgers, but badgers are non-indigenous to this forest, therefor, you are not from here"

Jerra interrupted "But we are from the Earth! These trees come from a foreign planet, and they use up our resources, and they do not belong here."

The Doctor kneeled down next to Jerra, looking her in her little black eyes "These trees do the same as any other tree, in fact, they do it ten times more than any other tree. Do you know what it is they do?" He paused, letting his question sink in. "They allow you, and me, and her" he pointed to each of them in turn "To breath. This is one of the single greatest oxygen factories on Earth, and they have been giving us air for thousands of years"

Jerra looked taken aback. She looked the Doctor up and down, glancing at Rose as well.

The Doctor continued "And that's not all they do. They provide a home, for everything that ever flew Earths skies, for everything that dared to climb their branches."

Jerra interrupted "Stop! Please, I don't want to hear this."

Rose gently pulled the Doctor aside, "You're scaring her" She knelt down by Jerra's side, looking up at her kindly "Jerra, please stop this. I've lived on this Earth my whole life, but I've never seen a sight like these. When I see them, I feel like there must be more in this world that I don't understand. It gives me a hope that there's something more out there" She smiled "Please don't take that hope away"

Jerra didn't move. She looked from one face to the other, trying to form coherent speech. The Doctor spoke again before she did. "You evolved using alien technology, didn't you" He had been looking over the scanner as Rose was speaking "This is alien technology, you didn't develop this"

Jerra looked the Doctor straight in the eye "Our ancestors found the device on board a crashed ship. They used the technology to become what we are today"

The Doctor handed the box back to Jerra "And the others, the blind ones.. Do they know this?"

Jerra shook her head no "Those of us who can see are taught to read, and I read the stories in an old tome. No one else knows"

Rose glanced at the box "Then why do you continue this?"

"They are afraid. They are afraid of what they don't know, and they want to destroy it." She flipped the box over in her claws, staring down at it as to not meet their eyes.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment, each one lost in their own thoughts

A familiar voice sounded in the silence "Have you thought about Braille?"

Rose and the Doctor both looked at each other, neither quite believing what they had heard. They both slowly turned around, towards the source of the voice. There in the burrows entrance stood a silhouetted figure, his long coat flowing to the ground and his hands rested in the pockets of his blue jacket.

John smiled "Surprised?"


	8. The Trees, the Boxes, and the Lights

Rose brushed past the Doctor, running straight into Johns open arms. He laughed, flinching slightly as the pain burned through his chest "Careful now.."

Rose stepped away for a moment "Sorry.." She looked him over. All that was left of the gash was a torn jacket and a faint scar, as if it had been healed for years. "But, how did you..?"

John smiled, holding out his hand "Remember these?" The palm of his hand was filled with tiny, glowing orbs, zipping about his fingers and casting a bright golden light.

Rose smiled brightly "Nanogenes!"

John nodded, looking over at Jerra "Those sonic devices weren't the only thing your ancestors found aboard that ship, were they?"

Jerra held out her palm, and John sent the tiny lights over to her. They gathered around her claws and cast dancing shadows against her fur. "No, we found these too. We found their healing properties shortly after their discovery, but never had a name for them." The four of the watched as the nanogenes took off and danced around the burrow.

John looked back at Jerra "That's alien technology. And might I ask, how many lives has it saved?"

Jerra thought for a moment "Many. Far more than I can count"

The Doctor interjected "And no one questions where they came from?"

Jerra looked over at him "We are a vastly underdeveloped species, even with this technology, it's only by luck that we've made it this far. Our ancestors, they did not like the trees, and they told their children that they were bad, they were foreign. I discovered the tomes, and I'm the only one whose read them since ancient times. No one else knows"

John took Rose under his arm as she watched the nanogenes swirl about her "Then show them. Teach them how to read without eyes, show the tomes to those who can read them. Evolve this civilization and teach them about the trees, the boxes, and the lights."

Jerra stared at him for a moment, and the three of them could see she was lost in thought. The Doctor approached her, resting a hand on her shoulder "You are an intelligent being, I know you'll find a way to show them."

She looked up at him, a new idea glistening in her eyes "I will."

-'-,-'

Three lonely figures stood in the middle of a forest of impossible trees, Facing the morning sun as it cast misty rays through their branches. John Smith, Rose Tyler, and the Doctor, each one having just seen incredible things they had never seen before, gaining new knowledge they had never known before, and a new respect for the impossible.

Rose spoke first, taking each man by the hand "Well, we did it again, eh? Saved a species, stopped a genocide, just like old times" She smiled brightly, and the two of them smiled back, each relishing in shared memories of past adventures, and they joy of having been able to do it one more time.

A fresh white blanket covered the ground. They had spent the night under the earth with the Badger people, and none of them had noticed the snow until they had once again stepped into the light. They all thought back to last nights activities, each helping the badgers read and understand the tomes, and giving them all a new respect and awareness of the trees, which now stood silent and unharmed, as they should be.

The Doctor sighed, taking a step forward into newly fallen snow. The Tardis should have stabilized by now, and I think its about time you two got back home

Rose rested her head against John's shoulder "Agreed, I don't think I could take another scare like that" She looked up at him, smiling as he kissed her forehead.

As they were about to set off, they heard a scratching behind them. They turned to see a small, furry figure pop its head out of the snow and quickly scamper over to them, holding a piece of parchment in its teeth. It stopped at their feet, holding the paper shyly up to them. John smiled "What's this?"

The badger scratched its head, looking up in their general direction "It's from Jerra. She wanted to thank you." He paused for a moment "... And I added that last bit" And with that, he scurried back into the hole, disappearing under the whiteness"

Rose looked over John's shoulder "What's it say?"

_Dear Guests. I'm sorry I couldn't have talked to you formally, but things just got so hectic, I only had a moment to write this. I wanted to thank you for helping us understand the importance of the trees, and to help our species begin to understand the written word. Please be safe on your future travels, and if you think of us again, we would love a visit_

Jerra

John flipped the parchment over and saw a couple sentances written in scratchy handwriting

_I am verry sorrie abot harting you. I did not meen to hart you. I am verry sorrie - Alupei_

Rose smiled as she read the last bit "Never gotten an apology like that one, have you?"

John chuckled to himself "No, not quite" He smiled brightly as he read it over again.

The three of them stood there in silence for a moment, smiling up at the trees. The Doctor spoke what was all on their minds "I knew these couldn't be from Earth. Too magnificent" And with that, the three of them turned and headed for the Tardis, for home.

-'-,-'

Rose and John waved to the Doctor as he stepped back into the blue box they had come to love. They were standing on the beach again, exactly a minute after they'd left. He waved back, shutting the doors behind him. The two of them watched as the light began to flash brightly, and the familiar whirring noise followed it as it disappeared into the air.

John looked out to the ocean. It looked exactly the same as the first time he'd set foot on this sand, and he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. Rose grabbed his hand, smiling brightly up at him. He turned to her and smiled back. "It's good to be home"

He took her chin in his hand, leaning down to her level as she closed her eyes, and gently pressed his lips against hers. They stood silently for a moment, neither daring to open their eyes as their lips moved against each other.

And they could feel through each other's shirts their heart beat against their skin. Two hearts, beating as one.


End file.
